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One of the most popular books of the past few years was The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The main character, when just a boy, tells a lie that destroys the lives of another family, with disastrous effects on the child of the lie’s victim. The boy struggles with admitting the truth, but eventually lacks the courage to admit his sin and his best friend is condemned. We are horrified by such lies, and yet Big Lies seem to attract numerous believers, probably because they are too ridiculous to be made up. A newspaper in Sweden recently reported that the Israelis murder Palestinians to harvest their organs to sell for transplant. The UN is now considering an investigation into the accusation. Another Big Lie hits the big leagues. Tamar, pregnant by her father-in-law, Judah, was condemned to be burnt to death. She chose to trust Judah, the man who sentenced her death, unaware that he was the father, and simply handed him the ring he had given her, when she was disguised as a prostitute, as security that he would pay for her services. “The man to whom this belongs is the father.” Judah could have remained silent and sent her into the flames. Moments before, in a righteous rage, as religious and moral leader of his community, he condemned the widow to death. The crowd was, forgive the pun, all fired up. Judah had already forfeit his position as a moral leader once before when he did not stop the sale of Joseph. His brothers chased him away. He had successfully rebuilt his life and regained his reputation. Tamar made it clear that she would not embarrass him even if it meant that she would die. He had only a moment, only a moment, to choose whether to acknowledge his sins, sacrifice his reputation and moral leadership, or to allow Tamar, a long-term problem, to turn into ashes. Tamar knew what Judah would decide. She could have presented his ring to him earlier and saved him from this moment, and yet, she is honored for creating this situation, and saving him from public embarrassment! Judah was incapable of allowing a Big Lie to exist. He immediately publicly acknowledged patrimony, and rather than humiliation, is honored by generations and his contemporaries for his willingness to say, “I have sinned against her.” Tamar saved Judah by forcing this moment. She pushed him to earn even greater honor. Even his brothers were impressed. Judah was brought back into the fold as their leader. Author Info: Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah. For more information visit: http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ & http://blog.thefoundationstone.org/ http://www.thefoundationstone.org/ http://www.thefoundationstone.org/en/i-basics/lifelessons.html
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Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, The Foundation, Jewish Spirituality,
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